


Sketches

by CursedRedRose



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Blagging your way in, Chloe's hiding things, Confusion, Drawing, F/M, Nath has no clue, Slow Build, Sympathy, Teenage Dorks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-06
Packaged: 2018-09-14 00:23:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9148570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CursedRedRose/pseuds/CursedRedRose
Summary: Nathanael has no idea why he just drew a picture of Chloe Bourgeois. When Chloe finds it, she doesn't know why she keeps it. Nath/Chloe pairing





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi and welcome to my first Miraculous Ladybug story on Ao3! I'm hoping to post some of my older ones here too but for now I'm going to post the one I'm currently working on. This was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend and I hope you all enjoy it!

The one thing Nathanaël loved most about drawing was the journey it would take him on. When he looked down at a blank page in his trusty sketchbook, his pencil posed and ready for action, he got a thrill from never knowing what would end up on that page. Sometimes it would be something from inside his own head, some mythical creature or faraway land he had pictured in a daydream and then brought to life. Sometimes it would be a scene in front of him, his favourite tree in the local park that he must have sketched a thousand times in his boredom or the view from his bedroom window. Other rarer times it would be sometime completely random that he didn’t expect from his surroundings, like the apple on Madame Bustier’s desk or the flowers he could see out of the window from his vantage point at the back of the class. He couldn’t explain why he drew those things sometimes. It was probably just out of boredom.

However, boredom didn’t quite explain why he had just drawn a sketch of Chloe Bourgeois.

He stared down at the picture that had taken shape on the white page in front of him, slightly surprised by himself at the detail that had gone into it. If he hadn’t been so stunned by the drawing, he might have said it was one of his best works; the portrait was brilliantly lifelike with two perfect flicks of eyeliner above a pair of lightly-shaded almond eyes, characteristic thick lips pulled forwards in a pout and curling hair done up in a ponytail without even a strand out of place. It was so completely Chloe that it baffled him. What on earth had possessed him to draw this?

He lifted his head up and looked around the class, worried that someone would see and he would be caught with his new drawing but thankfully nobody was paying attention to him and he breathed a short sigh of relief. It was almost the end of Science and the clock was edging slowly towards lunch hour. He looked around at his classmates and saw that everything was perfectly normal. Ms Mendeleiev was at the front pointing a thin bony finger at the blackboard as she went on and on whilst Max scribbled down her every word with rapt enthusiasm. Alix and Kim were shooting each other furious glances, having a silent angry argument meant to show they couldn’t stand each other even though everyone knew they were secretly crushing on each other like mad. Ivan was slumped over his desk, his face hidden behind the shield of his arms as he gave soft snores that everyone pretended they couldn’t hear. Alya was prodding Marinette in the arm with her pen, trying and failing to get her friend’s attention back on their work and away from the head of blond hair that sat in the row in front. That head of blond hair was also taking careful notes, only stopping occasionally to chuckle at a comment made by Nino before he started writing again. He was totally oblivious to the sighing girl sitting behind him and it really made Nathanaël wonder if his eyes were connected to his brain. He was usually so smart with everything but he just couldn’t see how hard the girl had fallen for him and it was getting to the point where Nathanaël was thinking he was never going to see it unless Marinette gave him the push he knew she was way too shy to give. 

He focused on Marinette for a moment and a small smile curved his lips. There was something about Marinette that just drew him to her. Maybe it was because she was so fascinating to draw, with her pretty doll-like features, her bouncing pigtails that now he could draw to perfection and her eyes especially were stunning to look at. Drawing them was like drawing two precious jewels- he could never quite capture their sparkle or the way they would leap out at you the moment she turned her gaze towards you. She was one of his favourite people in the class as she was always so sweet and kind to everybody all except for one who had tested her patience well beyond that of any reasonable human being. It was really no wonder why so many of the guys and even a few girls had had a crush on her at one point. Heck, he had fallen hard for her at one time, though now his feelings were waning as he knew he didn’t stand a chance whilst Adrien still lived and breathed.  
Turning his eyes from Marinette, he snuck a quick glance at the front of the class where he could see an indignant blonde ponytail swinging with a huff as Chloe did her nails right under their teacher’s nose. Sabrina appeared to be taking her notes for her and, not for the first time, Nathanaël wondered how Sabrina could live like that. Does she get anything out of that friendship? He wondered as he looked back down at his drawing. 

He still didn’t understand. Chloe Bourgeois was the most hated girl in their class if not in their school. She was snooty, rude, never had anything nice to say unless it was about herself and to top it all off, she was responsible for most of the akumas in the entire city. She had been responsible for his own transformation into a villain and he had made her his target for humiliating him in front of Marinette. He felt his face burn as he remembered the incident that had caused it. He could still hear her mocking laughter as she pointed at his drawings and see Marinette’s face as she looked down confused at the splayed notebook that had nearly broken its spine on the tiled floor. It was something he didn’t want to dwell on and he forced himself to again focus on the drawing. 

He noted the expression he had given her. Unlike her normal face, her forehead had lost that haughty crease and her eyes weren’t screwed up in an angry frown. Instead her face was smooth and free of any lines and her eyes were open, staring out from the paper like she could see something he couldn’t. With that expression, she looked open and thoughtful, even a little vulnerable. That took him back a little. Had he ever seen her like this? He glanced up to look at the front again to catch a glimpse of her examining her freshly-painted pink nails. He wasn’t sure but now there was a part of him now that wanted to see her like that. She surely couldn’t be that bitchy all the time…

“Nathanaël!” A loud sharp voice shook him from his musings and he almost jumped from his seat when all the eyes of the class, even Ivan’s, turned to him. “Are you paying attention back there!?”

Nathanaël saw Ms Mendeleiev’s steely eyes boring into his and he stammered as he hastily ruffled all the papers on his desk, hiding the drawing from view. “Y-yes Miss.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I hope so young man. You are currently failing this class and you can’t afford to fail the next test.” Her eyes briefly drifted down to his messy desktop before she looked back up at him, sending a jolt of fear through his stomach. “You better not be drawing again. If I catch you at it again, you’ll be sent back to the principal’s office. Understood?”

“Y-yes Miss. I understand.” Nathanaël could feel his cheeks going red as the attention was finally dragged back to the blackboard. He dipped his head in embarrassment as he dug his fingers into his messy red hair, trying desperately to hide behind it. He hated being the centre of attention, whatever the cause as he always got so tongue-tied and blushed brighter than his hair. He knew it was strange of an artist to be so shy of the spotlight; they were usually famed for being so brash and full of themselves but he knew he could never be like that. He hated forcing himself on anybody, even showing his art to people made him feel guilty and he always hid his face when they saw it. He often wished he had more courage and that he could stand up for himself more but at the moment that didn’t look likely to happen any time soon.

His head was jerked upright by the sudden sound of the bell ringing through the room. Everyone quickly started to pack up as Ms Mendeleiev shouted their homework over their heads. Nathanaël groaned when it reached his ears. Another quiz due in for next week. Great, just great. He thought as he rubbed at his temples. Science was never something he could get to grips with but the last thing he needed was to fail it and worry everybody back home. That would never do.

He started to pack away slowly when a shadow passed over his desk. “Hey art boy,” A familiar snarky voice sneered at him from his left and he felt himself tense up. “What’s the matter? Still in a daze?”

He heard Sabrina chuckle and he tried to pick up his pace, shovelling his papers in his bag and trying to stand up. “Leave me alone.” He tried to say fiercely but his voice only came out as slightly whiny. “I just want to get to lunch…”

A hand slammed down in front of him and he was forced to raise his head and look into her face. Chloe was staring at him with her eyes narrowed like a hawk who had just spotted her prey and was going in for the kill. Her lips were pulled into a smile of delight at what she was about to do and he could already see the way her blue eyes flashed in triumph. Seeing that expression on her, it made Nathanaël even more confused over why he had decided to draw her at all. She was almost the exact polar opposite of Marinette. Marinette’s face was round and soft almost like an apple but Chloe was more pointed with a longer nose and narrow chin. Marinette never wore make-up and her cheeks were dotted with freckles but Chloe was never seen without eyeliner and power blue eyeshadow and she always wore foundation so her skin looked completely blemish-free. Marinette’s eyes were wide like a fawn’s and their colour was bright like ocean waves whilst Chloe’s were thin and needle sharp and were a lot lighter, more like the colour of a spring sky. Nathanaël’s brain started to ponder these differences but once again he was shaken back to reality when Chloe’s shrill voice hit his ear.

“Hey! Don’t daydream when I’m talking to you!” She snapped crossly, looking affronted that he would dare ignore her. He looked back up and winced at the angry look on her face. This really wasn’t good.

“I-I’m sorry!” He stuttered, gathering his bag as close to himself as he possibly could to shield its contents before he tried to edge past her. “I just want to go eat…”

“You are in a rush, aren’t you?” Chloe neatly side-stepped into his path, almost purring as her eyes locked on his school bag. “Is there something you need to get rid of? Something in that bag perhaps?”

“W-what?” Nathanaël was aware of how painfully obvious he was. His voice had just gone up several octaves and he was now clutching his bag in a death grip. He couldn’t have looked any guiltier if he’d tried. “I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

Before he could even finish his sentence, a manicured hand whipped out and pulled the bag from his grip. “Aha! You were drawing in class again, weren’t you?” Chloe said, grinning as he gave a shout and tried to pull it back but Sabrina quickly stepped between the two of them and prevented him from getting anywhere near. “Ms Mendeleiev won’t be happy if we show her what you’ve been doing instead of the work!” Chloe hummed with glee as she dove into the messy crumple of papers and started to shift through them, missing how panicked Nathanaël looked. “I can’t wait to see what her face will look like when she sees…”

Her voice died away as she stared down at the sheet in her hand and Nathanaël felt himself freeze to the spot. That’s it, he thought. I’m dead. I’m never leaving this room alive. Tell my mother I love her… 

He was about to start praying when he realised that Chloe had frozen up too, her eyes still on the picture like there was nothing else in the room. Her eyes had gone wide and her mouth had dropped slightly open and suddenly he realised she looked like she did in his picture, stripped back of all the anger and stubbornness. Without all of that she looked so different and he found that he couldn’t look away.

Sabrina’s voice suddenly piped up, startling them both as she stared worriedly at her friend. “Chloe? Is everything alright?”

For a split second, Chloe looked panicked, like she didn’t know how to answer, before her old haughty look fell back over her face. “No! Everything is not alright!” She spat. “This filth isn’t worth showing to anybody! Honestly, I’m surprised at you, you clod!”

Nathanaël was taken aback when she scrunched up the paper into a ball and then sniffed at it like it was something disgusting she’d found on her seat. Was she… not going to show anyone? Now he was really confused. He had thought that surely she would use this as prime blackmail material but instead she just looked like she was going to throw it away.

“Urgh, this is no fun at all!” Chloe sniffed again, putting her hands on her hips. “C’mon Sabrina, let’s go and leave the pipsqueak be. He’s worth even less than I thought.”

She then swung around, flicking her ponytail at him in the process, before she strode away from him and towards the door. Sabrina’s eyes helplessly flicked between her retreating figure and the stunned Nathanaël- she obviously had no clue what was happening either. 

“Hey, wait for me Chloe!” She called as she ran after her, quickly catching up and walking in step with her. Nathanaël watched them as they walked out of the classroom, leaving him there alone with his whirlwind of thoughts. What the heck just happened? He thought before he ran over to the window to watch them march down to the courtyard. Why didn’t she just blow up at me? Sure, she called me names but that’s pretty much her tame version and she could have done so much worse… 

He spotted them both at the bottom of the steps, Chloe leaning against a pole whilst Sabrina appeared to be chatting away, handing over a stack of paper that had to be the science notes she took for her. Chloe accepted them, giving them a quick glance but she seemed preoccupied, like she wasn’t really concentrating on anything. He saw her dismissively wave her hand and Sabrina suddenly went running off in the direction of the lunch hall. Probably going to get her lunch, he thought. I will never get why that girl hangs around her.

That was when he saw it. As he focused his attention back on Chloe, he saw her lift up her hand and uncurl her fist. Inside her palm was his drawing, still scrunched up and in a little ball. Nathanaël felt his mouth drop open as he tried to press himself closer against the glass to see better. She had kept it? Why had she done that? She just called it filth! Shocked, he watched as she carefully unfurled it, her fingers being gentle as she smoothed out the paper and tended to its creases. She moved with an almost expert ease and soon the paper was out almost flat, the drawing once again visible. He saw her stare down at it with a small smile on her lips before she opened up the stack of papers Sabrina had given her and slipped the drawing inside. She pressed down on the paper, making sure it was as flat as possible before she put it in her bag. Then, looking around to make sure no one had seen her, she put her bag over her shoulder and walked over to the lunch hall, quickly disappearing from his sight.

Nathanaël stared after her in amazement. He didn’t think he’d ever been more bewildered in his life. Had he really just seen that or had the long boring Science lessons finally taken a toll on his mind? Somehow, he staggered back to his seat but he still felt like he couldn’t think straight; his mind felt just as blank as one of the unused pages in his sketchbook. Think about it, the logical part of his brain told him firmly. She’s probably just saving it as blackmail later, tomorrow she’ll be tormenting you about it. That was the thing that made the most sense, he knew that, but somehow something was telling him that there was something else behind her actions. It couldn’t be that she had… liked it, surely? He felt his cheeks burn again at the thought- even though everyone knew he loved drawing he rarely ever showed his art to people, he had never had the confidence. He picked up his pencil, hoping he could just forget about it but his mind won’t stay still enough. He couldn’t visualise a thing to draw and he only made a few half-hearted lines before he snapped the book shut. 

Pulling himself to his feet, he dragged himself down to lunch, his mind still buzzing with Chloe and her reaction to the drawing. As he walked down the steps to the lunch hall, he peered over the heads of his fellow classmates, his eyes searching for a glimpse of blonde among them. You should just forget it, his logical voice spoke again, this time more urgently. He knew that would be the easy way out of this but somehow, he knew he wouldn’t. He pressed his lips in a firm line as a sudden and very new feeling of determination spread over him. He needed to get to the bottom of this.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathanael does a James Bond to get to the bottom of it

This had to be the worst idea he had ever had in his life. No actually, this had to be the worst idea anyone had thought of in all of mankind. That was the only thing Nathanaël could think as he rounded the corner and saw the large white hotel building rearing up in front of him. It was truly an architectural beauty, he might have wanted to draw it if he hadn’t felt so nervous. The creamy stone building stood proudly in the dimming sunlight, decorated all over with carved pillars and each arched window was sheltered by a red cover that shielded the little balcony underneath. It was easily the height of luxury- and he was currently thinking of ways to try and bluff his way inside.

He paused in front of it, hugging his books closer to his chest like they had a chance of protecting him. He didn’t stand a chance of getting in there, surely? This was the hotel in Paris where all the celebrities stayed, where politicians had their parties and where the rich came to unwind and see the sights. He had just walked out of school and was still in his purple jacket and scuffed trainers. His trousers even had a large ink stain on one leg and he rubbed at it nervously, suddenly wishing he had gone to change at home before doing this. Yep, he thought as he looked back up at the building. This was definitely not his best idea.

The evening light was sparkling off the hundreds of windows and he felt almost mocked as they twinkled at him innocently. How had he ended up here? This surely wasn’t going to work. The last time he had been inside that building, he had been akumatised and trying to get back at the girl who had angered him that much. And now he was back again looking for answers… and it all came back to that same girl. He frowned. Chloe’s behaviour at school just hadn’t made sense. She had had prime blackmail material at her fingertips yet she hadn’t even shown it to Sabrina… it was like she had wanted it all to herself. What was up with that? Had she saved it just to use it at a later date when he wasn’t suspecting it? These questions hadn’t left him alone all day, it had felt like he was constantly being poked. He steeled himself back up as he looked up at the hotel again. He wasn’t going to back out now that he had finally got here. 

He took a deep breath and walked towards the entrance. The sight of the grand golden spinning doors made him gulp but he still somehow forced his legs to move, trying to look as casual as possible. Act like you do this all the time, he thought. Just make it natural… 

He was almost at the doors when suddenly a figure in a deep pink uniform stepped in front of him. He looked up nervously to see a pair of eyes shielded with glasses were practically grilling him on the spot with a strict suspicious look. He didn’t know how he kept himself from bolting as the surprise nearly made him drop his books. Somehow, he managed to meet the man’s eyes, keeping an innocent expression on his face as the man spoke.

“What business do you have here young man? You don’t look like one of our clientele.” He leaned in over Nathanaël, clearly attempting to intimidate him as he gave a sniff. Nathanaël suddenly forgot to be nervous as he found himself offended. Maybe he wasn’t the most fashionable but that doesn’t mean the man had to sniff him like he walked out of a rubbish dump. 

“I’m here to see Chloe Bourgeois.” He replied. “She’s a classmate of mine. We’re meant to be working on something together in class but she accidentally took both our notes… I’m here to collect them.”

The lie flowed off his tongue almost too easily; he wondered if that was a bad thing but for now he was too relieved to care. The guarded man leant back a little, his face still wary.

“Miss Bourgeois never mentioned this to me. Does she know you’re coming?”

“No,” Nathanaël said effortlessly though his nerves were started to creep back the longer he kept talking. “I only realised I didn’t have my notes when I left school just now. I was hoping to quickly pop in and collect them; I wouldn’t want to neglect my studies because that would reflect badly on both of us.” He finished by giving a smile and the man visibly relaxed. Wow, he thought, if Madame Bustier had seen that, she would have signed me up for the drama club.

“OK, that seems fair,” The doorman straightened up. “I do pity you though. We’ve had some of her other school partners come here to work over the years and it’s never been pleasant for them. She threw a proper tantrum at one poor girl- it took weeks to return that room to normal.” He openly shuddered and Nathanaël felt a jolt of panic in his stomach. What was with this crazy girl? She sounded like a psychopath! And he was really entering her room? He must be insane! “Anyway, she should be upstairs in her private suite. It’s the one on the top floor, first door coming out of the lift. Do you want me to buzz up and tell her you’re here?”

“No!” Nathanaël answered quickly, his voice going louder and more high-pitched. The guard gave him an odd look and he quickly had to give another smile and calm back down. “No please, don’t trouble yourself. I only want to get the notes, I don’t her to feel like she has to entertain me or anything.”

The doorman gave him another strange look and for a moment Nathanaël thought he was done for, but then the man surprised him by giving a chuckle.

“Can’t blame you for that,” He eventually said, opening the door and letting Nathanaël pass through. “Nobody wants to spend too long in that girl’s company, she’s a real piece of work. No wonder she doesn’t have any real friends.” 

Nathanaël was about to breathe a sigh of relief but those words made him stop. He knew what Chloe was like and had borne the brunt of her actions many times before but to hear from her father’s own staff that the girl was close to unlikable was still pretty sad. As he made his very through the richly-decorated hotel lobby towards the lift, he pondered the man’s use of the term ‘real friends.’ It didn’t take a genius to work out Sabrina was more of a worshipper and a servant than a friend but wasn’t she meant to be close to Adrien? She was always talking about him so he had just assumed they were close…

His thoughts were halted when he was confronted by the gold front of the lifts and the giant pad of buttons that flanked its side. He stared at the thing in horror. The pad was the size of a computer keyboard but it had nearly twice as many buttons. How on earth did anyone get anywhere in this place?

OK, relax, he told himself, anxiously trying not to drop his books and draw attention to himself. The doorman said her suite was on the top floor, so it stands to reason it would be the top button. He looked up at the point of the pad and, sure enough, the top button had been marked with a swirling pink C. 

I wonder what the other guests think when their room is on the top floor, Nathanaël wondered with a smile as he pressed it and the lift doors opened at once with a soft chiming sound. Do they have to pay more for the privilege of staying closer to the owner’s daughter? The thought made him chuckle as he walked in and the doors slowly shut. He found himself suddenly encased in gold and he got a creeping feeling it was trapping him inside. He could feel the lift start to move and his chest tightened, making him feel like he was trapped in a vice. 

Don’t panic now, he told himself firmly, remembering to take long slow breaths like his mother had taught him. He kept his eyes focused on the dot of light in front of him, refusing to be swamped by his nerves now as it slid further and further up, indicating what floors they were passing. You’re so nearly there. You just have to go in, get the drawing and then stroll back out again. It will be easy as pie.

Thankfully, the lift didn’t stop at any other floors and when the doors opened with the same soft chime, the corridor before him was empty. Hesitantly, he stepped out of the lift, his head darting around to see if anyone was approaching. Once he was satisfied he was the only one there, he hastily piled all his books in his already bulging schoolbag before he made a dash for the nearest wall and hugged it close as he inched forwards.

This is ridiculous! He told himself as he carried on moving along the wall, his back pressed so close to it, he wondered if the pattern of the wallpaper would rub off on his jacket. You’re not in a spy movie! Still, despite the logical part of his brain screaming at him, he didn’t move away as he rounded the corner and was suddenly confronted with a long stretch of white doors. They were all identical and edged with gold and his jaw dropped open at how many there were. How the heck was he supposed to find Chloe’s suite out of all these?

Pushing himself to keep moving, he made his way down the corridor. Chloe’s suite will probably be away from the rest of the hotel rooms, he thought, examining the doors and seeing they had room numbers on them. Knowing her, she’ll have it marked so it should be easy to find. Trying to relax again, he made his way further and further into the bowels of the hotel, the twists and turns of the corridor almost feeling like a maze that he was steadily losing himself in. With every step, he felt more unnerved as the only thing he could hear was the rhymical thumping of his schoolbag bashing against his knees as it swung from his shoulder. Several times, he thought he heard voices and threw himself round a corner to hide, only to realise they were from a long way away or from inside a room with a closed door. He had always been easy to scare, he still jumped every time he was called on class but this was taking it to a whole new level and by the time he reached the last door, his nerves felt like they had been shot.

The door at the very end was bigger than all the others and had been painted with so much gold, the white was barely visible among its sheen. The knocker had been shaped to look like a swan and, to Nathanaël’s relief, he could see the word Chloe had been stamped on the door in pink, directly at his eye level so he couldn’t have missed it if he tried. He stared at it half in amazement. He hadn’t even considered the possibility he would get this far. He had been certain some more staff would have seen him and hauled him away yet here he was standing outside the door of his classmate, about to go inside. 

He could feel his hand trembling again as he reached out for the knocker; he was almost scared to touch it in case it disintegrated under his palm. His mind flicked back to the last time he had been in this room, under the influence of Hawkmoth and using the powers he had been granted to destroy the room and get revenge on Chloe. The thought almost made him feel sick now. Even though he couldn’t remember that night, he still felt guilty over it. Maybe that’s why she picks on me, he thought sadly. If that was the reason, I can’t really blame her. For a moment, he was tempted to turn back, not wanting to see the inside of that room again and feel the flood of memories it would bring back but something compelled him to push his hand forwards that final inch and turn the knocker. He had to get that drawing back, even if it was just so Chloe couldn’t use it as ammunition against him.

He poked his head through the gap and looked around the room; it seemed empty and the deafening silence indicated that Chloe wasn’t there hiding in another room that he couldn’t see. Letting out a long slow breath that he didn’t realise he had been holding in, he slipped the rest of his body through the door and gently closed it. It barely made a sound as it shut and he gave another relieved sigh before he turned to look around the room. It hadn’t changed at all from the last time he had been there; his first thought was that it looked like any of the other luxury suites in the hotel. It was still overwhelmingly pink with the giant pink sofa in the centre of the room, the lounging pink chair that reminded him slightly of a deckchair around a pool and billowing silk curtains separating the two parts of the suite. There was the same table with a jar of roses balanced on top though there were so many of the blooms stuffed in the neck of the vase, it didn’t look like it stood still be upright. The wall behind them was entirely glass, giving him the best view of Paris he had ever seen and Nathanaël could already feel his fingers itching to sketch it down but he knew he had to hurry. He couldn’t see the drawing anywhere and he knew he was running out of time; it wouldn’t be long before Chloe or some other member of staff came in and he would be done for. 

He started to meticulously search the room, careful to touch as few things as possible so nothing would be seen as out of place. As he looked around, he could see traces of Chloe dotted through the room that somehow made it less like a regular hotel suite and more like her own room. Under the pink lounge chair, there was a Ladybug rug with her symbol on it and that for some reason made him smile- he had known she was a fan but he hadn’t realised she was this obsessed. There was other Ladybug merchandise on a chest of drawers, among them the print-out of a selfie where Chloe was posed with the heroine of Paris herself. Nathanaël stopped to admire it, picking it up carefully so it didn’t rumple the edges. It showed Chloe pulling her usual duck-like pout at the camera, her arm forcibly hooked around the shoulders of Ladybug, pushing back her dark pigtails in the process. Chloe looked overjoyed but Ladybug’s expression almost made his heart sink. Her face was held in a frustrated grimace and he could tell from the way she was rolling her shoulder that the second after the photo had been taken, she had thrown her arm away and rushed off. Even Ladybug doesn’t like her much, he thought. That’s really sad, considering she is her biggest fan and the one she has to keep saving. He began to wonder if anyone really liked Chloe except for her father and honestly, he didn’t seem to be around her much…

Don’t get distracted! His brain huffed at him. You aren’t here to feel sad for her, she deserves it anyway from the way she treats people! You need to find that drawing! Remember?! That’s the whole reason you’re here, not to snoop around!  
Right, he thought putting the photo back down quickly. He swept over the room again but still there was nothing. That must mean the sheet is in her bedroom. He looked over at the silk curtain and gulped. Walking into this room had been difficult enough; walking into her bedroom felt like an even worse prospect. That was even more private than this room and what if she was asleep inside? These thoughts rushed through his head in a mad haze, almost making him dizzy. He gripped his head between his hands, his fingers so tightly woven into his hair, it felt like he would never pull them free. He made his chest heave steadily again, feeling the movement relax him slightly as he took a few uneasy steps towards the curtain. There was no other thing for it. He had to take a look inside.

Freeing his hands from his tangle of red hair, he brushed at the curtain, sweeping it aside and exposing Chloe’s bedroom. He winced as he yanked it away fully, expecting to hear a scream but there was nothing; again, he was lucky and the room was mercifully empty. Almost ready to faint from relief, he gave a quick scan of the room and saw it was just as luxurious as the other room, only this seemed a little more personal. The room was still blindingly pink with the biggest bed he had ever seen positioned in the middle of the room, covered in a mountain of pillows that were mostly Ladybug themed. There were also some posters of the superhero on one wall but on the whole they were bare. He couldn’t see any photos of her or her family or anybody in fact. That seemed strange to Nathanaël- his room was tiny compared to this, the box room of his house but it was full to bursting of his own personal things. His walls were plastered with photos of him and his mum, some of his drawings he was particularly fond of, postcards from holidays and leaflets from art galleries… He barely had enough space for it all yet here was a room that was so much bigger that reminded him of a blank canvas. He took another few steps inside, scared that his movement would trigger some sort of alarm but that didn’t happen and his shoulders sagged.

OK, he thought. Time to find that drawing. 

He looked around, expecting to have to closely examine the room to find it. What he didn’t expect was to turn around and see it staring him in the face. He jumped back in shock, almost falling onto the bed as he stared at the small section of wall next to it. A large corkboard had been pinned up there and dead in the centre of it was his sketch of Chloe. The face in the picture seemed to be staring at him intrigued as his legs dragged him closer to it until he was standing directly in front of it. He could hardly believe his eyes. Not only had she kept it but she had put it in a place of honour? Was he going insane? His hand reached out and stroked the paper as if he had to prove to himself that it was real. Then, he stepped back and saw the rest of the corkboard and his jaw dropped open when he saw what else was pinned there.

Dozens of other sheets of paper looked back at him, fluttering slightly at the corners where they had been stuck there firmly with brightly coloured pins. Each one had a ripped edge where it had been torn from a notebook and each one had a drawing on it. He could recognise each one instantly; one was of their classroom that he had drawn one rainy day, another was of some fruit that had been arranged in a way he had liked, another was a landscape of some fields he had seen on one holiday. There were others he had copied countless times, inferior clones of drawings he had since perfected whilst others were experiments he had tried and then discarded… it was like seeing a collage of his own art and style. He could see some that he had done ages ago, where the lines weren’t as clean and the drawings were more scratchy. His eyes widened at the spectrum of it all. How… how did she have all this? Most of these were sketches he couldn’t remember, ones he had tossed away long ago… and Chloe Bourgeois had them? 

He was so dumbfounded, it didn’t hear a door open behind him as his luck ran out.

“Hey! What are you doing in my room?!”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nath vs Chloe: The Face-off

Nathanaël froze as the harsh voice cracked through the still air like a whip he could almost feel lashing at his back. He recognised it only too well and he could see his life flashing before his eyes as he slowly turned and was confronted by the angry blonde who he was certain was going to spell his doom. Chloe was standing by the curtain, her hand stilled in the act of pulling it back and her eyes and mouth were both wide in shock. For a moment, all they could do was stare at each other, too stunned to do anything else and Nathanaël could feel his stomach twist in ice cold fear.

I wonder if they’ll ever find my body, he thought as Chloe’s face started to screw up in a blisteringly hot anger he could feel from a few feet away. I hope they bury me somewhere nice…

“What are you doing here?!” An enraged shout almost made him jump as Chloe stabbed a finger in his direction. “You shouldn’t be anywhere near here! How dare you sneak into my room, you little thief! I’m going to call security-”

“Why are my drawings on your wall?”

The question slipped out of his mouth almost without him realising and he wouldn’t have noticed it if Chloe hadn’t reacted in the way she did. Her angry screaming came to a sudden halt, the rising red flush on her cheeks abruptly stalling as her face suddenly went pale and her arm limply dropped back to her side. Her mouth hung open but no sound came out like somebody had pressed pause on a movie and the rest of her also seemed to go rigid. Only her eyes seemed to move, the light blue frantically darting around the room like an excuse would suddenly drop from the ceiling. However, none did and she stayed silent, leaving the room to fill with a strange awkwardness. Nathanaël was bemused. He had expected to be shouted at, threatened and dragged out of the building. He had never in his wildest dreams thought that Chloe could be shy like this.

It made him bold, the power in the room now completely in his hands. “Well?” He demanded, surprised at himself but not letting that falter on the outside. “Aren’t you going to explain? I came here to get my drawing back and I come in here to find it pinned up on your wall!”

“I…” Chloe just stared at him for a second, stunned that Nathanaël, the quietest boy in their class, if not the whole school, was yelling at her. Her eyes blinked several times before she could come up with anything to say. 

“There’s… a gaping hole there! It only just formed and I needed something to put over it. It was so ugly, even your trash would do to cover it up!”

Nathanaël raised his eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. He’d heard some bad excuses, usually from Ivan about his missing homework or from Marinette about why she was always late, but that one had to take the biscuit. “Oh really?” He said, still feeling bold and almost drunk on his power as he reached up for the piece of paper. He heard Chloe shriek behind him but he ignored her as he lifted it up. Behind it, there was only a slab of corkboard and he turned back to the blonde with his head slightly tilted.

“Yeah, that’s a real ugly hole there Chloe.” He said, feeling the sarcasm drip of his tongue like molasses as she stared back at him with an almost terrified expression. “And anyway, even if there was a hole there, that doesn’t explain the rest of them.” He swept his arm over the board to emphasise how many of his sketches there were, making the papers flutter like wings with his movement. “Some of these have got to be a few months old, at least. Has your daddy not fixed your wall for that long?”

“Shut up!” She fired back, her cheeks now so pink, they were glowing through her thick make up. “I only kept them because I didn’t want the staff to see them in my bin! Even the dump is too good for that crap!”

Her retort felt like a sting in Nathanaël’s side. “OK then,” He said, turning his face back to the corkboard so she wouldn’t see the hurt that flashed across his face. “You won’t mind if I take them then, that is what I came here for-”

“NO!” The force of her denial startled even her and Nathanaël almost jumped backwards into the corkboard. “Wait a minute… You don’t have to take them. I mean, you could just leave them here.” Sensing how vulnerable she was sounding, she quickly backtracked, trying to sound more like her usual self as she flicked her hair back. “Why would you want them anyway? They’re just old rubbish ones, they shouldn’t mean anything to you.” 

“They don’t really mean anything to me,” He admitted, his eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at her. “I’ve probably done hundreds of copies of some of them. But I don’t like to think of them in your hands, this one particularly.” He pointed at the one in the centre, the one where her own face looked back out at her and he could have sworn he heard her breath hitch. “I don’t want you using this against me. What if you took it into school one day and made fun of me? I’m not going to let that happen Chloe.”

“I won’t.” She said, her voice almost stumbling to get the words out quick enough. “I promise I won’t, that piece of paper will never leave this room.” She then looked sheepish as her eyes looked down at the floor, her hands toying with the hem of her bright yellow cardigan. “If I promised that… would you let me keep it? Please?”

Nathanaël’s eyes went wide. Was Chloe… begging him? The pale blue of her eyes, the same sheen found when you looked at mother-of-pearl just right, was gazing at him pleadingly from under her thick blackened eyelashes and he felt like he had been struck by lightning. The sight was so surprising, it zapped him of all the boldness he had felt before and he found he was back to stammering as he gave his reply.

“W-well urm, I guess you could keep them… if you do promise.”

“I do!” Chloe was quick to reply as she suddenly stepped closer to Nathanaël. Before he could process what was happening, she had taken his hand and curled her pinkie finger around his, his hand hanging limply from her own as he just stared in astonishment. “I, Chloe Bourgeois, promise you, Nathanaël Kurtzberg, that none of your drawings in my procession, especially the one of me, will never leave this room.” She gave the promise like she was making a sacred oath and how seriously she was taking it would have been laughable if it didn’t feel so unreal. “Is that enough?”

She looked at him worried and he almost jumped at the intensity in her eyes. “Err, yes, that’s fine!” He blurted out, suddenly very aware of how their hands were linked and pulling his arm back. His finger was now tingling, like he could still feel her finger wrapped around it and the sensation was very odd. The room filled once silence once again and it felt even more awkward than before, so much so Nathanaël wondered how he wasn’t choking on it.

“Erm…well…” He finally managed to say, one hand rubbing at the back of his neck. “I should be going…”

“Well…” Chloe suddenly said, looking almost as nervous as he felt for a moment before her face fell into her usual expression of haughtiness. “Now that you’re here, I might as well get some use out of you. I have some English homework and you’re going to help me!”

“I am?” He stared at her dumbfounded as she gave a firm nod.

“Of course!” She snapped. “We all know you’re one of the best at English in the class! I was going to get Sabrina to do it but she’s busy tonight with some family thing- talk about unhelpful!” She snorted loudly, tossing her head back so her ponytail swung wildly around her head. “But since you’re here, I might as well make you useful.”

“Hold on,” Nathanaël said. “Why would I help you? I’m not one of your lackeys and I’m not having you copy all my work!”

She gaped at him open-mouthed. “I wasn’t going to suggest that!” She almost growled. “I was going to suggest a trade of some sort. I know you’re failing Science, heck everybody knows that, and I’m not too good at English so how about we help each other out? Hmm?”

“Huh?” Nathanaël stared back at her, the noise escaping his mouth before he could stop it. Was Chloe offering to help him? “Wait, are you even good at Science?”

“Of course I am!” Chloe huffed, sounding affronted that he didn’t think that could be true. “I’m good at everything obviously but Science is one of my better subjects. Have you not seen my grades?”

“But… aren’t you only getting those grades because Sabrina is doing all the work for you?”

“What?!” Chloe close to shouted. “Sabrina isn’t doing all my work for me! What makes you say that!?”

“She’s always copying your notes for you!” Nathanaël insisted. “I saw her doing it earlier today in class when she had two pieces of paper in front of her!”

For a moment, Chloe looked confused before realisation spread across her face and she frowned at him. “Sabrina wasn’t making my notes for me!” She replied. “She was copying mine!”

“Wait what?” Nathanaël sounded shocked and Chloe’s eyes narrowed.

“You don’t believe me?” When Nathanaël said nothing, she gave a sigh and rolled her eyes, her hands returning to her hips as she took up her usual stance. “Listen. I admit that in some lessons, I copy her notes but only in the ones I’m not great at. We have a system going; she’s not the best at things like Science or Maths so she copies me and then in English and stuff, I copy her. Haven’t you noticed that our grades aren’t exactly the same? I thought you were smarter than that. Really, who would just go on doing someone else’s work for them without getting anything in return?”

That was my question, Nathanaël thought, saying nothing as he wasn’t sure how to respond. Should he apologise for just assuming something their entire class thought was already true? Sabrina did take a lot of orders from the girl after all.   
He was still deliberating this when Chloe suddenly walked past him, a triumphant smile on her face as she went and sat on her bed. “Well, come on then,” She said in a commanding tone, patting the space in front of her on the sheets. “We need to get started.”

Nathanaël’s cheeks suddenly flushed as pink as the sheets. “Y-you want me on your b-bed?”

She shot him an exasperated look as she blew her cheeks out. “Well we’re not going to both fit at my desk, are we?” She waved her arm impatiently at her desk in the corner, that was positioned underneath the corkboard. He had to agree with her; the desktop was way too small for them to fit both their work on the surface at the same time. “Besides, the bed’s more comfortable, so get your mind out of the gutter and sit down!”

Nathanaël could feel his face going as red as his hair. “I wasn’t thinking that!” He blurted out in his defence, somehow managing to move his limbs in the direction of the bed. She raised her eyebrow but he ignored her as he gingery positioned himself on the very edge of the bed. The sheets felt slippery as he reached for his bag, almost causing him to slip off as he took out his English and Science books. He spread them out over the pink surface, feeling almost like he was presenting them to the blonde and Chloe gave a satisfied nod as she looked over them.

“OK. We’ll start with the English.” She declared. “Then we’ll move to your Science. Hopefully I can make you a little less dismal at it.”

Nathanaël sighed as he reached for his book. This looked like it was going to be a long day.


End file.
